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Wednesday, 17 May 2017

Jeans Hunt with Blithe Spirit and a Dollop of Mustard

The Mourning

Oh how I do mourn the passing of my M&S jeggings. They fit so beautifully yet sadly they are no longer fit for purpose, as they have suffered a bit of wear and tear; they have become victim to RWI (repetitive wearing injury), are now designated GFGO (good for gardening only) and strictly NTBSOTB (not to be seen on this blog!).

What makes these jeans my much-mourned jeans? Everything's right about them.

Right fit, right length, right weight, right amount of worn-in-ness.

M&S just don't make jeggings like they used to. So I'm moving on.

I currently have two pairs of wearable jeans, the criteria being that the zip is still zippable and they have no distressed tears, fashionable or accidental (and no distressed tears from me crying as I pour myself into them!).

I don't like the knee-to-ankle arrangement in either pairs. So they rarely get worn.

But I like wearing jeans.

The Hunt

So what does that say to you? Yup, a jeans hunt. Shopping criteria being a not too wide and not too narrow leg/ankle and waisted high enough to avoid muffin top. And thin denim, I find the thicker stuff claustrophobic.

During my recent trip to Southampton I went searching for this jeans holy grail.

I went to straight to M&S, as it was not a mega shopping sort of trip.

I would have liked these to have been in the shop.

These are a nice light summer blue, high waisted and the ankles don't look anything like as narrow on the model online. But that's it, I think they are only available online.

I tried on three pairs in the shop, button-fastening, relaxed, and skinny.

Button-fastening.

The Finding

Yup, button-fastening won!

Pure Goldilocks jeans. They were The Ones as soon as I squeezed slipped them on.

It will come as no surprise that I'm a short 27" leg! The short size stops just at the right point high enough above the ankle to make them feel summery ... and for me to feel cheeky when I wear them. And that is what I really want from a pair of jeans. I want a nonchalant spring in my step and a gamine swagger to my hips each time I squeeze slip into them. I get that from these jeans.

I wear these and transform into a Blithe Spirit! And those of you who know me as a pathological worrier will see this as no mean feat.

How can jeans do that to a person?!! Does a certain pair of jeans make you feel cool or coquettish?!

And who would have thought! Button-fastening! That did deter me at first glance, as it did my shopping mate, Double Coz, who took one look at them and cried "But what about your manicured nails?!".

But the nails handle the arrangement with ease. Blithely.

I never had 501s back in the day, like Nick did.

The Tenuous Link to 501 Eye Candy

Nick Kamen goes to the Laundrette (only view if you can bear to watch a man washing his jeans!).

I always thought 501s looked far too complicated but now I am a button-fastening convert. It's a comfortable arrangement.

The Epilogue

Jeans are an important part of a girl's life so finding the right jeans is a big deal. From this little exercise I have realised that in order to find The Jeans, you have to first work out what suits you best. From photos, from the mirror, from compliments or criticism you have received.

Take all of that on board then work out a your list of requirements, your must-haves in a pair of jeans and the must-avoids. Then armed with these criteria, easily stored in your head, you have the shopping tools which get you your perfect pair of jeans.

I'm crossing my fingers that these jeans are The Ones as they still have to pass The Pout Laundrette Test! I'm hoping they'll be The Go-To's that will allow me to go about my day with effortless ease.

20 comments:

Thanks for your commiserations, Susan :-(. I think the issue is that jeggings look like denim but aren't, so the fabric is just not robust. I was buying a new pair each winter, because I liked them despite that, but with this pair I drew a line as I don't think the new jeggings are as cute.

Did the jeans actually come from M&S, I didn't realise you were short you don't look it on the pictures. I am short too so would need 27" too. MY last jegging were from M&Co short and size 16 Last time I tried them I had a hot flush trying to get in them, so probably go to charity.!!

I'm a short 5'3.5" - the .5 is now vital to my well-being because when that goes, I will be officially shrinking! Sounds like yours will have to go sadly. Trouble with jeggings is there's no zip so no leeway to move around a dress size, something I do with great ease! Anyway, gone are the days when we happily lay on the bed whilst a friend zipped us up with pliers, eh?

Do you remember a few years ago when M&S had three different cuts of jeans designed for different shapes? I loved the Marilyn ones and still cling on to them. Never found any I like more. But time to move on so maybe I should check out their button fastening jeans!

No I don't remember them, Gail, I must have been stuck in my jeggings groove then. Great idea, though so why didn't they keep it going? It's a shame when manufacture make us move on, it's like our favourite eye shadows and lipsticks that discontinue - Max Factor and Clarins have got a lot to answer in my world. Please try these jeans, they have a nice cut and my body doesn't do them credit, but yours certainly would.

I hate it when something worn and loved finally has to go so I feel your pain. Particularly difficult with jeans as they are so hard to find in a style, weight, fit etc that works for you. I am in awe that you managed to do this without too much trauma.

Well, I may have made it sound easier than it was! I've bought the two existing pairs in recent years when I realised my last pr of jeggings were on the way out and M+S was failing me. So, being a tight skinflint, my biggest trauma was accepting that those new jeans weren't working for me and were stopping from wearing jeans and if I was going to wear jeans again, I was just going to have to spend some money!

The right pair of jeans is a HUGE deal. (You look great in yours.) I have some jeans I picked up a couple of years ago that fit really well, except if I gain even 4 pounds, that's it. And this past year I gained far more than that and I am staring woefully at my stack of jeans that I can't get into. Ugh!

I just found you over at Sue's place, high heels in the wilderness. Happy that I did!

Hi D.A., welcome to my humble blog, so pleased you found me at lovely Sue's place. Thanks for your nice words. I did laugh when I read about your stack of jeans! Occasionally I've lost weight over the years, then gained again. The result - I've had a bag of jeans a few sizes too small for perhaps 10 years. They never fit me, they taunt me, but to throw them away feels defeatist. 10 years is a long time to be haunted by a bag of jeans. If you love those jeans, don't put yourself through that!

Thanks, Jacqui, I must pay more attention to colour rather than keep playing the grey card! Jeans can really take you most places any day of the week. I love how the jeans look has been expanded in the past 10-15 years.

So sweet, Andrea, it's surprising how so many ladies of differing shapes, sizes and lifestyles all face the struggle of finding the perfect jeans for them. I've certainly kissed my share of jean-frogs over the years!

I've had to discard some faithful M &S jeans too. So we can mourn together. Like you I need 27 leg and agree that the new jeggings are not the same. For fit though I can really only wear Next or M&S. I have to try Peacocks though as you like those. I did buy new m&s ones recently and put a link on my blog. High waist ones, but I do find them clingy compared to old version jeggings. I have button up white jeans. Just one pair.

Good to hear you've had the same experience, so it's not just me and my funny legs! Shame but Peacocks aren't doing great blue denim right now but the black and grey jeans are super. Saw you were having issues with back-leg creasing.

Oh, the two things every woman hates to shop for are jeans and bathing suits! I really love the pair you picked out. I just donated most of my jeans and bought all new ones. I've decided no more low waist for me, it has to be at least a mid rise (preferably high) and be made of stretch denim or I won't buy it.

So true, Amy!!! Fortunately I have enough bathing suits. Admire your bravery ditching your old jeans and I like your criteria to new ones. I think my new ones are mid rise. I discovered they are described as 'straight leg' on the waistband when I washed them today. And I've hung them out on the line and they don't look like they've shrunk :-).